Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman along with Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com and Mark Passwaters from AggieYell.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Domani Jackson’s recruitment is starting to swing in USC’s favor again.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I talked to someone who was at USC’s recruiting event Sunday night and I told him I still felt Domani Jackson was leaning to Alabama but that I could be wrong and his response was: “Dead wrong.” That was an interesting reply because prior to the Lincoln Riley hiring I was almost certain the five-star cornerback was headed to Tuscaloosa. I’m not so sure anymore. By no means is Alabama out of it or trying to play catch up but there is definitely momentum in USC’s favor and I actually think it helps the Trojans’ chances if Eli Ricks comes on board as well. Jackson wants to play for a contender and get developed to be an elite cornerback. That path is possible at USC now.
Young’s take: FACT. It’s hard to ignore the momentum new USC coach Lincoln Riley has generated on the recruiting trail overall, but especially with Jackson. Riley has transformed the perception of this Trojans program dramatically from the one that caused Jackson to de-commit last month. It may be a lot to take in and require some more time, but ultimately USC is where Jackson had long wanted to go and the questions about coaching stability, culture and player development should be no more. There is a question about how well Jackson connects with the new position coach, widely expected to be Oklahoma’s Roy Manning, as Jackson was particularly tight with USC interim head coach Donte Williams. But multiple conversations this week and having Jackson visit with high-profile LSU CB transfer Eli Ricks had given him plenty to think about.
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2. Texas A&M is now the clear team to beat for five-star cornerback Denver Harris.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Texas A&M has made up tremendous ground, there’s no doubt about it, and the Aggies could reel in Denver Harris. It is a tremendous credit to the coaching staff and the A&M commits who never gave up recruiting him. But there is significant SEC competition as well coming from Alabama and LSU. The word I’m getting is that it had been pretty quiet from the Crimson Tide in recent weeks, but picked up in the past few days. The Aggies could have the edge right now and could land Harris, but the clear team to beat? I wouldn’t go that far yet.
Passwaters’ take: FACT. It’s still mind-boggling, but the Aggies have come from off the radar to lead for another five-star prospect. Since a mid-November visit, his interest has spiked — to the point Alabama seems like the only real competitor as time runs down. The coaching staff deserves credit for not quitting on him, but just as much credit belongs to the Houston members of the 2022 class and fellow CB Bobby Taylor in particular. They’ve been selling the idea of winning big close to home, and it seems to have resonated.
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3. Enai White is now trending heavily to Texas A&M and the Aggies could be tough to beat.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Enai White has already visited Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State. He has not committed to any of those schools and that’s only one reason why Texas A&M is the school on top and could be tough to beat. The four-star defensive end really admires coach Jimbo Fisher, he loves the position coaches there and he’s especially close to some A&M players from the Philadelphia area. All of this just makes sense and I’d be surprised if after his visit there this weekend it’s not finished up that he’s going to play for the Aggies.
Friedman’s take: FACT. White was leaning toward Ohio State, then Georgia, and now Texas A&M is the team to beat. I published an update with him last week and he detailed where each of his finalists stand but the Aggies seem to have a hold on him. Fisher and his staff are hosting him for an official visit this weekend and went to see him last week. My FutureCast is pointing toward Texas A&M and I don't see any reason to change that right now.
